Football
- Title:
- Safeties
Ron Collins is in his seventh overall season on the Boise State football coaching staff. Serving as a defensive senior analyst for the 2022 and most of the 2023 seasons, he was promoted to assistant coach by interim head coach Spencer Danielson late in the 2023 season. Collins initially joined the Broncos in 2001 as the linebackers coach, a position he maintained while adding the duties of defensive coordinator from 2002-05. In 2022, he rejoined Boise State as a defensive senior analyst, a role he held until his recent promotion.
In 2022, the Broncos were a perfect 8-0 in Mountain West games, limiting conference opponents to just 13 points per game. Boise State ranked fifth nationally in passing defense and sixth in the country in total defense. The season culminated with a win in the Frisco Bowl and six players earning All-MW accolades.
Before his return to the Treasure Valley, Collins spent nine seasons at Ohio. He was the Bobcats’ linebackers coach for seven seasons before being promoted to defensive coordinator and safeties coach for his final two. During his tenure, Bobcat linebackers accounted for nine All-MAC honors during his tenure, including three First Team selections. The First Team honors were garnered by Blair Brown (2016) and Quentin Poling (2016 and 2017).
Brown was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the fifth round of the 2017 NFL Draft and Poling was picked by the Miami Dolphins in the seventh round of the 2018 NFL Draft. Collins’ 2016 unit was fifth-best against the run in the country and set Ohio’s single-season records in tackles for loss and team sacks. The Bobcats won the MAC East that season, earning a berth in the conference championship for the second time during his time at OU.
During his time in Athens, the Bobcats earned a bowl berth on eight occasions, finishing with a 5-3 record in those contests. This included a pair of wins in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, defeating Utah State in 2011 and Nevada in 2019.
Collins joined Ohio after five seasons as the defensive coordinator at Colorado. His 2009 defense was 11th in the nation in forcing “three-and-outs” with 53, and was seventh in the NCAA in red zone defense. In a 14-13 win over Kansas State in 2008, CU held that precarious 1-point lead the final 25:49 of the game, the longest any team protected a 1- or 2-point lead in Division I-A or the NFL that year. That season, Colorado was the only Big 12 team to limit all of its opponents under 500 yards.
In 2007, he guided a unit that ranked 31st nationally in rushing defense. The season featured a three-week stretch where opponents averaged under 200 total yards per game. The Buffaloes defeated No. 3 Oklahoma, 27-24, during that span, with Collins earning National Coordinator of the Week honors from Rivals.com. The Buffs earned a berth in the Independence Bowl.
Collins’ first stint in Boise saw the Bronco defense develop into one of the top units nationally and as the best in the Western Athletic Conference. In his years as defensive coordinator, Collins had 26 players earn All-WAC recognition. The 2005 Boise State defense ranked 15th nationally against the run (107.9 yards per game), a figure that also topped the WAC; it was also among the best in the nation in forcing turnovers with 26. Collins also had one of his players, linebacker Korey Hall, repeat as a first-team all-WAC performer.
The 2004 unit may have been his best. That year, the Broncos ranked in the top 10 nationally in three categories: interceptions (second), turnovers gained (fifth) and rushing defense (10th), while also finishing 13th in turnover margin. Seven of BSU’s starters were named All-WAC, including three first-team selections.
Those accomplishments followed up on a solid 2003, when BSU ranked in the top 20 nationally in interceptions (sixth), pass efficiency defense (seventh), rushing defense (11th), scoring defense (12th), turnovers gained (14th) and turnover margin (17th). Boise State was also 37th in total defense and ranked first in the WAC in seven of the nine major categories, including scoring defense, rushing defense, total defense, pass efficiency defense, interceptions, and third down conversion defense. All three starting linebackers earned All-WAC recognition that season.
In 2002, Boise State led the WAC in eight defensive categories, finishing 16th in the nation in rushing defense and 17th in scoring defense. That same team also ranked first in the WAC in five different categories, including rushing defense (103.9 yards per game), turnover margin (0.83) and interceptions (23), and was also second in total defense (357.8).
In his four seasons at Boise State’s defensive coordinator, the Broncos had a 45-7 record, including an astounding 31-1 mark in WAC games. The Broncos won the WAC all four seasons and competed in four bowl games, winning two. They also entered the AP rankings for the first time in program history and climbed as high as No. 10 during the 2004 campaign.
Before his first stint in Boise, Collins spent 13 seasons at Washington University in St. Louis, Mo., the first full-time position of his career, as he joined the Bear staff under coach Ken Woody as secondary coach for the 1988 season.
With Collins at the helm of the defense, Washington University had one of the school’s top football decades during the 1990s. In producing a 68-33 record from 1990-2000, Washington University shared three University Athletic Association (UAA) titles and won seven or more games on five occasions. In 1999, Collins coached the top ranked Division III defense in the country, as Washington allowed just 192 yards of total offense per game and a school record 49.8 rushing yards per game in making the NCAA playoffs for the first time in school history.
Collins is a 1987 graduate of Washington State, earning a bachelor’s degree in physical education. The defensive team captain as a senior, he lettered four years for WSU at strong safety for coach Jim Walden. He started three seasons (1984-86) and once had three interceptions in a game (versus Stanford as a sophomore in 1984). He received a master’s degree in education administration from the University of Missouri-St. Louis in 1991.
A Cashmere, Wash. native, Collins graduated from Cashmere (Wash.) High School, where he earned a total of 10 letters in football, wrestling and track. He is married to the former Sharon Arthalony, and the couple have two daughters, Taylor Rae and Alexandra.
Assistant Coach
36th Year in Coaching • Seventh Year at Boise State
Alma Mater: Washington State, 1987
COACHING EXPERIENCE
1988 Washington University (St. Louis, Mo.) Secondary/Strength and Conditioning
1989-98 Washington University (St. Louis, Mo.) Defensive Coordinator/S&C
1999-00 Washington University (St. Louis, Mo.) D/ST Coordinator/S&C
2001 Boise State Linebackers
2002-05 Boise State Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers
2006-10 Colorado Defensive Coordinator
2011-16 Ohio Linebackers
2017-18 Ohio Co-DC/Linebackers
2019-21 Ohio Defensive Coordinator/Safeties
2022-23 Boise State Defensive Senior Analyst
2023-pres. Boise State Assistant Coach
